Exception nod blow to safety

THERE were plenty of people already concerned about the influx of people into Townsville for the mega fight at Queensland Country Bank Stadium tonight before finding out two Victorians had been granted special exemptions from strict COVID-19 border restrictions.

Many in the community will be dismayed two workers were given the exemptions by Queensland Health and didn’t have to quarantine for 14 days so they could erect the boxing ring at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.

The exemption allowed the pair to fly to Townsville from the COVID-19 hotspot of Victoria last week and travel between their hotel and the stadium.

Many in the community will condemn the decision, just like the state opposition has. They compared it to the situation where a NSW mother had to fight to enter Queensland to be with her hospitalised newborn and the government was shamed into allowing a two-year-old to isolate at home after open heart surgery in Sydney.

LNP health spokeswoman Ros Bates said locals should have been found to assemble the boxing ring.

She’s right on the money there.

The Townsville Bulletin has been behind the fight from the start – it’s great for Townsville – but things should have been changed so the community and business weren’t put at risk.

It seems unbelievable, with what’s going on in Brisbane now, that we would let two people come from Victoria and avoid hotel quarantine just to assemble a boxing ring.

The Queensland government has done an amazing job so far in controlling the pandemic but, as we have seen in Melbourne and Sydney, it takes just one slip-up for the virus to take hold.

Thankfully the government has stepped up checking of passengers coming off flights tomorrow to try to control the risk.

Everyone in Townsville is hoping the pandemic does not return and praying the government has this issue well in hand.